The Icelandic Roundup: Decriminalising Drugs & Free Kindergartens

A new episode of The Icelandic Roundup is out! Editor-in-chief Valur Grettisson and culture editor Josie Anne Gaitens go over the biggest news in Iceland this past week to give listeners an insight into what’s up in Iceland these days.

The Minister of Health in Iceland, Willum þór Þórsson, retracted his bill about decriminalising consumption quantities of drugs from Parliament unexpectedly last week. It seems like the reason is lack of support within the political parties in the coalition, the Independence Party, the Progressive Party and the Left-Greens.

The move was unexpected but the Left-Greens as well as the Pirate Party had proposed a similar bill before.

And more politics for Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the Prime Minister, who said in the news last week that she wants free kindergarten for children in Iceland, in part because 10,000 Icelandic children are said to live in poverty in Iceland. This is, though, not the first time that the Left-Green has expressed this view, but this issue never changes.

And the Icelandic national hospital is no longer at the level of ‘National Emergency’ because of COVID-19.

You can listen to The Icelandic Roundup via Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Buzzsprout, with other platforms becoming available in the coming weeks.

Thank you to Lava Car Rental and The Lava Centre for sponsoring this episode of The Icelandic Roundup.